Entry into HR jobs - Advice from industry professionals

I am an Organisational Psychology Honours Graduate (2008) and have been working in a Sales position for 1 year & 3 months. I need advice from professionals who are actively working in the HR field.

Just from my personal experience whilst job-hunting (and I stand to be corrected as this is a lay-man's point of view) I have found that getting employed in an entry-level HR job is difficult because:1) there seems to be a greater supply of individuals qualified in HR than there are jobs;2) most job ads place more emphasis on experience than on the level of education.

Which begs my questions:1) I have decided to go back to university and study towards a Masters degree because I feel my Hons degree is somewhat becoming redundant and my work experience is slowly becoming more important than my transcript. As it is, I do not have what is termed 'relevant' work experience in the HR field. Is it really worth it for me to pursue a Masters degree in Organisational Psychology or HRM with the hope that that will make me employable?; will a Masters degree in HR make any difference in searching and getting employment in the HR field.2) Alternatively, should I rather go into a more 'practical' academic programme like Monitoring and Evaluation or Training to save myself the trouble of being at the mercy of getting experience from an employer and rather become self employed thereafter?

Replies to This Discussion

I again felt that emphasis is placed upon having a Degree as to someone that has the experience. There is a agency that does not even assist you in HR without a Degree. But maybe the problem is those seeking employment is more than the actual positions available.

I guess there is a mix of requirements in the market. What you have, they don't want; what you don't have is exactly what they are looking for.
It gets so confusing going forward especially in my instance where I want to study further. I may as well 'abandon' a career in HR/Organisational Psychology, which I initially never actually started, and pursue something else that will guarantee me 'employ-ability' and job security.

I am slowly coming to realise that self-employment, or whatever is self-sustainable, therefore seems to be the next best option for Social Science graduates with little, if relevant, or no work experience.

Please anyone else with perspectives on this topic, I would appreciate hearing from you.

Rujeko Hi,
I hear your heartbeat there. Keep exploring other channels of job searching. With social media the scope has grown bigger despite the challenges in specific job categories. If you're keen, consider our Independent Recruiter roles that we're seeking to fill across Africa. It's a role that requires you to leverage social networking in recruitng for positions. Let me know if you're keen on this. I've uploaded a brochure on our recruitment portal called Talentboard.

All i have to day is job hunting is a continuos process...You have to make it your second job " thats what I did". You have to explore every single avenue....agencies and websites is not enough. Network and let your resume reach people in executive positions.

I had pretty much the same experience...well my job was to job hunt...I spent days and nights searching, applying. Every person I met I enquired regarding the company they work...made a contact and fowarde my cv.

Where are you based? Foward me your cv.I will be glad passing it on to people i know.
My e-mail faheemp@vodamail.co.za